This project examined the policies for less-favored areas by local governments in eight prefectures as case studies. with special emphasison the relationship among the national policies. prefectural policies, municipal corporations, and rural communities. The main findings are summarized as follows.In Aomori, the prefectural government has made several specially-designated area for the direct payment by the national government. In Iwate, a direct payment for each of Japanese short-horn cow is noteworthy as it intends to link a policy to promote the regional special production to another policy to support mountainous areas. In Niigata, the local governments have developed the programs to support quasi-public corporations established to grow core farmers and to promote rural development. In Nagano, the municipal governments are progressing their rural management programs by appointing several officers to each communities. Financial supports with unlimited purpose to rural communities are
… More adopted both in Tottori and Shimane Prefectures, which are now planed to be converted to supports for community cooperative farming. In Kochi, the prefectural and municipal governments make direct payments for quasi-public corporations. In Miyazaki, it is noticeable that the programs for mountainous areas are developed with special emphasis on the forestry. These programs are also show certain possibility of direct payments to forests.Based on these case studies, our project has concluded as follows. Local governments have to be the core actors in public policies for less-favored areas. In this sense, the central government make too much commitments can the detail programs in Japan. Careful consideration is needed to decide the extent to which quasi-public corporations play a substitutional role in farming. In several regions, community cooperative farming are, in the last resort, expected to maintain farming and agricultural resources in mountainous areas. However, it is an urgent necessity, both academically and practically, to figure out how to build a network system to sustain farming and rural resources beyond the limitations of community farming. Less